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Sex worker groups denied intervenor status

The Supreme Court announced April 30th that the advocacy groups seeking intervenor status on the case to decide the constitutionality of Canada’s prostitution laws have been denied. Three Canadian groups advocating against the laws, POWER (Prostitutes of Ottawa-Gatineau Work, Educate and Resist), Maggie’s, and Stella, as well as four international ones have been denied.

Several other groups advocating for decriminalization have been given leave to appeal, including Downtown Eastside Sex Workers United Against Violence, Pivot Legal Society, the BC Civil Liberties Association, and Native Women’s Association of Canada. However, sex-worker advocated are outraged that the court refuses to hear from those with direct understanding of the laws’ impact on sex workers despite granting status to Christian and conservative organizations without.